Holiness! How?
The Bible says, ….without holiness no one will see the Lord: Hebrews 12:14.
What a sobering thought! Can you at all imagine the prospect of not seeing the Lord?
We are promised,… we will see Him as He is 1 John 3:2. That means in glory, majesty and radiant splendour.
The very idea of not seeing Him is both frightening and alarming.
Yet if only the holy will see the Lord, how can we be holy?
That is a question I have struggled with for many years. What does holiness mean? What does it entail?
Do I have to be sombre and dull to reflect holiness in my life? Or do I need to dress a certain way in order to be holy?
Of course holiness is produced within a person. It is a genuine state of heart and mind that seeks and strives to be like the Lord, even though we fail miserably in doing so.
The true grasp of holiness is not keeping your eyes on holiness itself; it is fixing your mind and heart on the Saviour.
If He alone remains your vision you will reach more of holiness than you ever thought possible.
J.I. Packer once said, `the holiest Christians are those focused on the Lord Jesus and not on holiness`.
What a profound statement that is!
Now I can see the way to true holiness. Like everything else it is through turning my attention and priorities on Jesus and not on certain promoted principles or rituals.
If we keep Him at the centre of our everyday living, the marks of holiness will naturally, or supernaturally, be seen and evidenced in us.
If it is true, without holiness no one will see the Lord: Then it is also true, without seeing the Lord we will never reach holiness.
Thank God we can see the Lord today through His word and if we let His word be worked out in us, then we can have the confidence that one day we will see Him as He is.
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